Day 22

Longest book in the Bible, done! Yeah, this was a long haul book for one day. I realized, while reading Jeremiah, that I am struggling with the prophetic books. The history (and myths) are a delight. But all of these oracles of prophecy are hard for me to enjoy. The poetry is certainly beautiful at times, but there’s a part of me that wishes these oracles were somehow woven into the historical books. Without the interactive bits of the story, it’s really feels like I’m just reading an anonymous blog about what they don’t like in Israel or Babylon.

That being said, Jeremiah added a lot of context. I felt like I got to know more of his struggles as a prophet versus Isaiah — who I couldn’t tell you anything about. The human elements of the main two “characters” here, Jeremiah and Baruch, allowed me to immerse myself in the oracles a little more. It was still long. It was still a lot of oracles. But the humanity kept it moving along.

What really struck me in Jeremiah were the personal commentaries by him. His anguish was real. His doubts were real. His struggles with the authorities were right there. Getting to know him allowed me to see his story in the here and now. Where is anguish in the midst of our society and who is expressing it? Who is doubting? Who is being oppressed and marginalized? Just as Isaiah allowed me to ponder who is calling out our culture and world today, I had the same thoughts with Jeremiah. However, with Jeremiah, I felt like he was a little more down-to-earth…average joe. I could be wildly wrong here, but those personal details took him off the pedestal.

I think a different way of reading these books of prophecy would be a layered reading. Read the relevant history chapters followed by the oracles. The Tankah puts these books much closer to the historical books and, so, I wonder if that would help with some of the weariness. Then again, I am on a fast track of my own choosing here.

One Word for Jeremiah: Relatable

Parts of the Text That Stayed With Me

1. Jer 1, Another Call Story. Yep, another call story. I love call stories. ’nuff said.
2. Jer 4:19-28, Feelings of the Prophet. Here we get Jeremiah’s anguish. It’s a real and relatable look into his despair over Israel. What would despair over America look like? Probably something like this.
3. Jer 6:14, Theme. “They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, ‘Peace, Peace,’ when there is no peace.” This is repeated several times in this book and is a call to wake up.
4. Jer 15:10, Persecution. Jeremiah was thrown in jail, persecuted, mocked, and treated poorly. Sometimes truth tellers are not welcome amongst us.
5. Jer 28, Competing Prophets. And sometimes there are those competing for the truth. Here we find Jeremiah calling out the prophet Hananiah. Where’s Hananiah’s book in the Bible? Well…guess who won the day. that’s right…NOT Hananiah. There’s several other prophets following this chapter that Jeremiah is victorious over.
6. Jer 36, Write This Down! Jeremiah is a little scattered as a book. So here is a quick reminder to his scribe, Baruch: “Quickly, write everything I say down! Thirty-six chapters later.”
7. Jer 46 – 49, Poetry of War. Several oracles against the tribes of Israel and surrounding kingdoms. They were action packed, beautiful, and haunting.

This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.